Stacie Anaka of Victoria, whose silver medal in the 67-kilo class at the world wrestling championships in Budapest solidly established the Reynolds grad as a podium threat for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, was named B.C. female athlete of the year for 2013.
The winners were announced late Wednesday night at the 48th annual Sport B.C. awards ceremony at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
Also nominated in the female category was another road to Rio 2016 breakout performer from Victoria — swimmer Hilary Caldwell, who won the bronze medal in the 200-metre backstroke at the world aquatics championships in Barcelona.
Basketball player Kelly Olynyk, selected 13th overall out of Gonzaga in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft and now emerging with the Boston Celtics, was named B.C. male athlete of the year for 2013. The Kamloops product beat out swimmer Ryan Cochrane of Victoria, who won two medals at the world aquatics championships in Barcelona, and shot-putter Dylan Armstrong of Kamloops, bronze medallist at the 2013 world track and field championships in Moscow.
CFL star Jon Cornish of New Westminster, the elusive running back for the Calgary Stampeders, won the Best of B.C. Award as the top B.C.-produced professional athlete in 2013.
Shanice Marcelle of Victoria — a Rio 2016 candidate who ended her brilliant career for the UBC Thunderbirds by fluidly slicing to the net for her fifth CIS national women’s volleyball title and the BLG Award as the top female CIS athlete in any sport — was named B.C. university athlete of the year.
Receiver Marcus Davis, who graduated from Mount Douglas with back-to-back B.C. football championships, was selected the province’s top male high school athlete. The Island was well represented in the high school category with all-rounder Lars Bornemann of Oak Bay also nominated in the male division and four-sport athlete Emma Entzminger of Lambrick Park in the female division, the latter won by track star Asianna Covington of Surrey.
The nominees for official of the year were all from the Island with Victoria’s Dale Jackson from golf beating out Saanichton’s Steve Papp from hockey and Black Creek’s Len Apedaile from cross-country skiing.
Wheelchair racer and Parksville-Qualicum MLA Michelle Stilwell and swimmer Brianna Nelson from North Saanich, who both won medals from their Para world championships, were nominated in the athlete with a disability category with Stilwell winning the award.
Also nominated from the Island were Randy Bennett of Victoria, whose swimmers accounted for three medals at the 2013 world aquatics championships, and UVic Vikes soccer mentor Tracy David in the male and female coaching categories, respectively. Victoria’s Gerry Poulton from squash was nominated for masters athlete.
The men’s soccer CIS-champion UBC Thunderbirds were selected B.C. team of the year.
Balloting was conducted by media and sports officials.
